Deep Red Flower
by Zexainia
Summary: Follow the life of Sinai Kokoroshi, a girl in the Soul Society who aspires to conquer her weaknesses and reach her goals. Does she have what it takes to make her dreams a reality?
1. Hard Work Pays Off

One hundred years ago in the Soul Society, a particular girl was preparing to take her final exam to become a full-fledged Soul Reaper. Her name was Sinai Kokoroshi. She came to this decision because she had a passion for protecting others. Her "family" in the Rukon district was not very supportive of her, however. They constantly told her that she didn't have what it took and that she was too weak. Fed up with everything, she swore to them that she would become a Soul Reaper and ran away to train herself.

Sinai spent every day training to enter the Academy. There were times when she pushed herself too far and passed out from fatigue. Food and water were scarce, for she had little money. The money she did have was earned from doing odd jobs for different people in various areas of the Rukon district. As she traveled through each sect, the people grew to love her. She had compassion for them and desired to do anything she could to help anybody. Now, after years of hard work and finally making it into the Academy, she was about to take the final exam. ' _Alright, after this person I'm next…'_ she thought to herself. _'I've got to do my absolute best and give it all I've got!'_

Then her name was called.

"Kokoroshi Sinai, you're up." "Yes, sir." After about an hour of presenting her skills, she was finished. The proctors were now speaking to her. "Sinai, you are one of the top students in your class and you possess exquisite skills." "Yes, everything about your combat abilities and kido are top notch." "You're also quite intelligent to top it all off, with the best grades we've seen in a while." After their compliments, she bowed and said politely "Thank you very much." The proctors nodded. "Kokoroshi Sinai, congratulations. You've passed with flying colors." She lifted her head and her eyes sparkled with joy. "Really?!" she exclaimed. "Yes, now you must learn the name of your Zanpakuto." She raised a brow. She knew it was part of the process, but she had never really thought about how to do it. "How should I do that?" she asked. "Just meditate with your sword and attempt to communicate with it. Its response depends on how much determination you have and how strong your soul is. You will know your bond has been strengthened when you see that it changes shape to reflect your abilities and personality." One proctor answered. "Okay, thank you." She bowed again and walked over to a grassy hill. Her long brown hair flowed behind her. She wore a red flower in her hair with beads and feathers dangling from it. She pushed up the red glasses around her chocolate brown eyes and sat beneath a cherry blossom tree.

She closed her eyes and began to concentrate.

After a moment, she heard a small voice.

 _"Do you have what it takes?"_ It whispered to her.

In her mind, she envisioned a bright red aura. Then she responded to the voice. _'Yes, I do. I've trained hard for this. I want to help and protect others!'_ The voice was louder now. _"Then it is settled. You and I shall accomplish great things together. We will be powerful."_ It told her. _"What is your name?"_ Sinai asked. The Zanpakuto answered. _"I am Akanehana."_ Then the aura formed a male lion, decorated with flowers and beads. He smiled at her, knowing that her intentions and soul were pure.

When Sinai opened her eyes her Zanpakuto, now known to be Akanehana, was different. The hilt was shaped like the flower in her hair. The blade now had three curved points on its edge and there were four red flower buds at its base. She examined it with fascination. "Woah, you're really something Akanehana!" she said happily. Then another Soul Reaper approached her. "You are Sinai Kokoroshi, correct?" She stood back up as she replied "Yes, sir. I am." "Very well, I see you have learned the name of your sword. Are you able to revert it and then summon its Shikai again?" She smiled. "I'll try". She concentrated on it and it went back to its deactivated state. Then, as it came to her, she yelled "Blush! Akanehana!" And it transformed again. The other Soul Reaper looked glad. "Alright, I see you have everything in order. I was sent to escort you to see Head Captain Yamamoto." He said. Sinai's eyes grew wide. "The Head Captain himself, wants to see me?" she asked astonished. "Yes, the proctors reported that you were a remarkable student and the Head captain requested to see you and personally assign you to a squad." He answered. Sinai jumped. "Awesome!" she said. He chuckled and said "Follow me." She nodded and sheathed her sword.

As she followed, her mind was flooded with thoughts. _'This is amazing! If only my family could see me now…too bad I can't tell my friends in the Rukon District. And I don't have many friends from the academy… almost everyone made fun of me for being a nerd and being weird…oh well. Guess that doesn't matter now, I'm off to bigger and better things!'_ Her thoughts halted as they came to large doors. "We've arrived." He announced. He requested for permission to enter and access was granted. They both entered the large room and bowed on their knees. The other Soul Reaper spoke. "Greetings Head Captain. This is the newest Soul Reaper, Kokoroshi Sinai, who you requested to see. Yamamoto looked at Sinai, who was slightly shaking with her head still bowed to the floor. "So, she is the one? Very well, thank you. You may go." The other Soul reaper bowed once more before leaving the room. "You may rise now." Sinai heard Yamamoto tell her. She slowly stood up, trying to be as polite as possible. Her mind raced once again. _'Oh man! The Head Captain! I'm so nervous!'_ "Kokoroshi Sinai, step forward." He commanded. She nodded and approached him slowly. He could tell how nervous she was just by the expression on her face. Then he chuckled softly and said "There's no need to be so stiff, young lady. I can see that you are a very polite and orderly Soul Reaper." Sinai blushed a little as a sweat drop ran down her head. "Y-yes sir, thank you very much sir." She replied. Yamamoto gave her a small smile.

"Good. Now, as for your new squad, it will be based upon your strengths and abilities. I am aware that you are a very gifted individual." He said. Sinai smiled and as she was about to thank him, the doors opened.

(to be continued)


	2. And your Squad is

"Hello Head Captain. I've heard about the new recruit and I wanted to see 'em." A voice said casually. Sinai turned around and saw a tall, slim, not to mention handsome man in a captain's garb. His hair was golden yellow and went down to his waist. Then she remembered, He's the captain of Squad 5, Shinji Hirako. Pink tinted Sinai's cheeks as she looked at him. _'I've heard of him many times…but seeing him in person is amazing…He's…gorgeous."_ Sinai thought to herself. Yamamoto spoke. "Ah, Captain Hirako. Finally come to explain your late paperwork, have you?" he asked. The blond twitched an eye. Then he walked up to Sinai. "Well, I just came to see about the newbie here. So, this must be her. The top notch student." He said looking at Sinai. "Nice to meet ya, I'm Shinji Hirako, Captain of Squad Five." He held out his hand. Sinai blushed a bit more and slowly took his hand to shake it. "Y-yes, I know. Captain Hirako, it's an honor to meet you. We students were taught about each captain at the Academy." She stuttered. "So ya already know about me huh? Well go on, what's your name?" he asked. "My name is Sinai Kokoroshi." She said shyly. Shinji turned back to the Head Captain. "So, which squad are you going to assign her to?" he questioned. "I was going to make the decision before you arrived, Captain Hirako." Yamamoto answered. Shinji continued. "She's a cute one, why not put her in my squad? I'm sure squad five will be good for her since she's so smart." Sinai's face turned bright red. The Head Captain thought for a moment, then replied "That does appear to be the best choice, I was thinking that from the start due to her being highly skilled in almost all areas." Shinji nodded. "I'll be sure to take good care of her and train her to get even better." He said. "Very well. Kokoroshi Sinai, I assign you to Squad Five under Captain Hirako Shinji. I'm certain you will do well there." Sinai bowed while still a bit flustered. "Yes sir, thank you very much Head Captain."

The girl and her new captain exited through the door, and as soon as they got into the hall, Shinji threw an arm around her shoulder. She blushed again, a little startled at his gesture. "Well, I guess you're with me now huh? Don't worry, I'll look after ya." He said with a smile. "T-thank you Captain Hirako..." she stuttered. Shinji took his arm back and said "Hey now, ya don't gotta be so formal with me. Just call me Shinji okay?" Sinai looked at him in confusion. "But, I just became a Soul Reaper and you're my captain now, why shouldn't I be formal sir?" she asked. Shinji sighed, a look of slight annoyance on his face. "I guess you gotta point, but you're cute so I'll let you get away with callin' me by name." He told her with a smirk. Then he saw her blush again. He asked "Hey, what's with your face bein' all red, ya got a fever or something?" Sinai giggled shyly and answered "No, I'm not sick or anything. Just nervous." "Nervous about what?" he asked. Sinai thought for a bit. "I dunno, about this whole thing of becoming a Soul Reaper I guess. I'm afraid to let someone down." Shinji snickered and told her "Ya don't have to be nervous. It'll be alright. I'm positive that you'll do great." This made her smile. "Thank you Captain." She said happily. Sinai heard Shinji grunt. "There ya go again, being formal. I don't really like it ya know." His complaining only made her giggle again.

They continued walking until suddenly, Shinji was kicked in the face and sent flying into a wall. Sinai was shocked and sprinted over to him. "Captain! Are you okay?! What the heck was that?" she yelled frantically. Shinji sat up while holding his head and exclaimed "Dang it Hiyori! What in the world was that for?!" Out stepped a small girl with blonde pig tails while Shinji was yelling. Sinai kneeled down to tend to Shinji, who now had a red mark in the middle of his face where Hiyori kicked him. "Oh, I don't know, just thought you deserved it, idiot." The blonde girl said. Shinji growled angrily. **"I didn't even do anything!"** He shouted. Hiyori stomped over to where the two were sitting. **"Don't yell at me you moron!"** she yelled. Then Sinai stood up, glaring at Hiyori. With an angry tone, she told her "I don't know who the heck you are, but nobody's gonna kick my new captain and get away with it so long as I'm around." She tightened her fists as veins popped out on them. Hiyori sneered. "Oh, yeah? And just what are you gonna do about it, little girl?" Sinai got even angrier and shouted **"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I'LL DO!"** as she began to unsheathe her Zanpakuto. But she and Hiyori were stopped by Shinji's hands. "Alright, calm down you two." He said as a sweat drop ran down his head. Sinai looked at him in confusion. "B-but Captain! She just kicked you! In your face no less!" she protested. "Yeah…she does that." Shinji sighed, then continued after sticking his tongue out at the blonde. "Sinai, this is Hiyori Sarugaki…she hates me, but follows me around for some reason…" A vein popped out of Hiyori's forehead. **"I DO NOT, IDIOT!"** she yelled, then shoved away Shinji's hand and grunted. Sinai gave her a nasty look before putting her sword away. "Hiyori, this is Sinai Kokoroshi. She just became a soul reaper today and she's joining Squad five." Shinji explained. Hiyori crossed her arms. "Whatever. She seems like another nuisance to me." She complained. Sinai turned away and gave her a "Hmph!" _'Oh boy…'_ The captain thought to himself. Sinai spoke "Well Hiyori, if you ever hurt Shinji again, I'll be there to kick your butt." Hiyori laughed. "Yeah, right. And just what makes you think that you're on a first name basis with me? Whatever, I gotta go. See you losers later!" she said before walking away.

Sinai stomped her foot. "Oooooh! She makes me so mad!" she said. Shinji placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair a bit. "Well it's great that ya finally called me by name." he said to her. Sinai blushed a little and turned to face him. "So are you okay?" she asked. "Yeah, I'm pretty much used to it." Shinji replied. Sinai pouted. "But you shouldn't have to take that abuse for no reason, Captain!" Shinji chuckled. "I appreciate that you're so concerned about me, but it's fine. I promise." He said with a smile. Sinai blushed a bit more. She loved his smile. It was so sincere, so kind, so perfect. Seeing him smile made her smile too. "Okay, if you say so captain..." she said "I told ya before, just call me Shinji!" he whined.

They continued on to Squad Five's barracks. After a few minutes, they finally arrived. "Alright, we're here." Shinji announced. They walked inside to be greeted by a man with scruffy brown hair and black glasses. "Captain, where have you been? There's work to be done and your absence has slowed us down." He said. "Yeah, yeah. I'll deal with it later Sosuke." Shinji told the man. "Oh, and by the way, this is Sinai Kokoroshi, the awesome student everyone's been talkin' about. She's joining our squad today." He continued, then turned to Sinai. "Sinai, this is Sosuke Aizen, my lieutenant." Sinai looked at him. She felt something odd. She didn't know why, she didn't even know this man at all. But something about him bothered Sinai and made her a bit uncomfortable. She scooted closer to Shinji and said quietly "Nice to meet you…" while looking at the ground. Aizen smiled at her and and said "Pleased to meet you as well, welcome to squad five." Sinai didn't respond though. Shinji whispered to Aizen. "She's a bit shy." Aizen tried talking to her again. "I hope you'll feel welcome here." He said. Sinai quietly thanked him. "Well, round everyone up, Sosuke so we can introduce Sinai to 'em." Shinji told him. Aizen nodded and said "Yes, captain." before leaving. Shinji turned around. "What was that about, Sinai? He can be a bother at times, but he's okay as far as I know." Unbeknownst to Sinai, Shinji didn't want to reveal his true thoughts about Aizen because he didn't want to worry her or cause Aizen to get suspicious. Sinai looked down again. "I'm not sure…to me something just feels…off about him…" she answered. _'Sinai, you couldn't be more right…'_ the captain thought to himself.

"Shinji?" her voice broke his thoughts. "Hmm?" "Um…when you said earlier…that is..uhh…" she paused. "What is it Sinai?" Shinji asked curiously. "No one has ever said nice things about me like you have before…do you honestly think that I'm…I'm…cute?" she stuttered as her face flushed bright pink. She shut her eyes tightly in embarrassment. _'Oh, man! Why did I have to ask? He was probably just being nice!'_ She heard Shinji laugh a bit. "Yeah, I do. In fact, you're adorable." Sinai opened her eyes, only to find him staring at her with those deep gray eyes of his. It made her squeak, then she looked away and stuttered "T-thank you…Captain Hirako…" Shinji smiled and thought to himself again _'Man, I've seen some cute girls in my time, but Sinai here takes the cake.'_ Then he said "Well, let's go and introduce ya to the rest of the squad." Sinai nodded, replied "Okay" then followed him.

(to be continued)


	3. Welcome to Squad Five

Sinai and Shinji came to a large building and entered it; a bunch of other soul reapers were standing inside. Shinji led Sinai to the front of the room. Then he began to speak. "Alright, most of ya were wondering where I was, and here's your answer. We have a new recruit joining us today. She's very skilled and intelligent, so there's no need to treat 'er like a kid. Go ahead Sinai, introduce yourself." Sinai smiled and spoke as well. "Hello everyone, my name is Kokoroshi Sinai. I look forward to working with all of you." Shinji began talking again. "Alright, you all can go about your business now I guess." He told his squad. Everybody exited the building, including Sinai and Shinji. It was darker out now. "Hmm, it's gettin' late. I guess that'll be it for today." Shinji said before stretching out his arms. "But wait, I don't have to do anything today? Isn't there something you need help with?" Sinai asked him. "Nah, it's your first day. Ya just got here. It's alright, we can just go to our quarters…Wait, you don't have anywhere to stay, do you?" he asked. Sinai shook her head and responded "No sir, you haven't assigned me anywhere yet." A grin appeared on Shinji's face. "Great, you can stay with me at my place then." He said smiling. Sinai blushed. "B-but captain! Don't you need your own personal space?" she asked nervously. Shinji began to walk with both hands behind his head. "You'll be fine, ya don't take up that much space. It's not like there's anywhere else for ya to go anyway. And besides, I'd love your company. It sure gets lonely for me around here sometimes. And stop bein' all formal with me, okay? I'm not some old geezer…" Sinai smiled and followed after him. "Are you sure you don't have a problem with this? There isn't some kind of rule against this sort of thing? I can stay somewhere else you know, I don't mind even if the conditions aren't the best. I'm used to it." she questioned again. Shinji gave her an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm the captain and I say it's fine. Just because you came from the Rukon District doesn't mean you have to keep living like that. From what I've heard and seen, you deserve better." Sinai almost couldn't believe how kind and selfless he was. "Okay…Shinji…thank you very much." She told him. "See? Now that's much better. Good job Sinai, keep it up." He said grinning.

As they walked, the sky faded into deep indigo. After a few minutes, Shinji stopped in front of a nice building. "Okay, we're here." He said before opening a door. He held it open for Sinai and gestured for her to step inside. Sinai was going to say something about Shinji going in first since he's the higher rank, but saw his face when she was about to open her mouth and decided against it. They both stepped inside and Shinji shut the door after them. Then he turned on a light. It was a pretty nice and neat room. There was a record player and some records next to it sitting on a small table in the corner. Against a wall opposite from that there was a desk with a tall stack of papers on it. There was also a bed against another wall. "Make yourself at home, Sinai." Shinji told her. "Thank you." She replied. She took Akanehana out of her sash and set it on the floor near the door.

"So, do ya have any personal belongings or anything?" Shinji asked. Sinai shook her head. "Not really, the only things I have are my Zanpakuto and my hair ornament…oh yeah! I also have a couple of sketchbooks, but I guess I accidentally left them at the academy in the midst of all the excitement…But when I ran away from my home in the District to train myself I didn't really take anything else with me. I kind of miss my stuffed animals though…" then she blushed in embarrassment and said "I guess that's pretty childish huh? Even after you told the entire squad not to treat me like a kid.." Shinji shook his head. "Not at all, in fact that just make ya even cuter than ya already are." He said. Sinai's cheeks turned bright pink. "Thanks Shinji.." she said shyly. "No prob. So, you draw?" She grinned happily. "Yes, it's my favorite thing to do! It's a great stress reliever and helps me get my emotions out. Plus it's really fun." Shinji smiled at her eagerness. "What do you draw?" he questioned again. "Well, lots of things really. It depends on my mood and thoughts." She explained. "Aah, I see. You'll have to show me, we can get your books tomorrow if ya don't mind waitin'." He told her. "Okay, thanks! That sounds like a plan." Shinji sat at his desk. "Don't mention it. Well, I guess I should get started on this mountain of paperwork." He said. Sinai walked over to him. "Woah, all of that is paperwork?!" she asked bewildered. "Yup, it's somethin' all of us captains gotta deal with. It can get to be a real pain." Shinji replied. "I'd hate to just sit back and watch you fill all of this out by yourself, can I please help you with it? I'll even do half if you want me to." Shinji laughed a bit and lightly pinched her cheek. "You're so sweet Sinai, thanks but this is stuff only a Captain can do." Having his hand on her face made Sinai blush a little. "Okay, I really wish I could help you though." She said before yawning. Shinji gave her a warm smile and said "I know, but ya look tired. It's been a busy day for ya so why don't ya get some sleep? You can have my bed and I'll just sleep on the couch for now until I get another mattress in here."

Sinai shook her head vigorously. "No, no, no! I can't take your bed, Shinji! You're already letting me sleep here! You're my new Captain and I only just joined today!" she protested. Shinji snickered. "Sure ya can, you're a lady and ladies deserve the most comfort." He told her. Sinai pouted. "I just feel bad about taking your bed…" she said softly. Shinji stood up from his desk. "Go on, I insist. I won't take no for an answer. I'll even tuck ya in." he joked. Sinai could see that she wasn't going to win this argument, so she finally gave in and said "Okay, fine…Thanks a bunch Shinji. Are you sure you're alright with me calling you by name?" she asked as they walked over to the bed. "Yeah, I'd prefer it if ya did, how many times do I hafta tell ya?" he asked kiddingly. Sinai sat in the bed and laughed. "Sorry, I was just making sure…" Shinji pulled back the covers. "Go ahead and lay down." He said. "Wait, were you serious about tucking me in? I thought you were kidding!" she snickered. Shinji stuck his tongue out at her and said "Yup, sure was." Before playfully throwing the sheets over her head. She spoke from under them. "Aww, gee captain. You don't have to spoil me like this~" she said sarcastically. He laughed and pulled them off of her face. "You're funny." He told her.

Sinai rested her head on the pillow. "Thank you so much for making me feel so welcome Shinji. I'm truly grateful for that." She said more seriously now. He smiled. "You're welcome. Now get some sleep okay? Ya have a big day tomorrow. Good night Sinai." Then he walked back over to his desk and sat down. "Good night Shinji, you need to get some sleep yourself." Shinji took a piece of paper from the top of the giant stack and began writing. "Yeah, I know." He replied. Sinai pulled the covers up over her nose. They smelled like him. She blushed as she inhaled. Everything about Captain Hirako was wonderful. He's so nice and caring, not to mention handsome…Sinai especially loved his flowing golden hair. This emotion she was feeling…was it love? But she had only just met him today, so maybe not. Sinai wasn't completely sure. She was afraid of getting her hopes up though. _'Just because he called you cute a couple of times doesn't mean he loves you…for crying out loud, you've only been in his company for a day! Don't be ridiculous…this isn't some fairy tale…'_ Sinai thought to herself. Still, that affection lingered in the back of her mind. She decided to leave these thoughts for tomorrow. So she closed her eyes and slowly drifted off into sleep. Shinji continued working. About an hour later when an eighth of the pile was finished, he walked over to Sinai to check on her. "Good, she's asleep." He whispered to himself. He stood there, looking at her peaceful body rise gently with each breath. He smiled. _'I have a feeling that she's gonna turn out to be one amazing Soul Reaper. I sure hope she's not uncomfortable being around me so often.'_ He looked at her again and noticed that she still had her glasses and hair flower on. "Hm, guess she forgot to take 'em off." He kneeled on the floor and carefully reached to take off her glasses. He did so very gently so he wouldn't wake her. When he took them off of her, he folded them and placed them beside the bed. "There ya go…" he smiled once more then continued working back at his desk.

(to be continued)


	4. First Day

Sinai's eyes slowly fluttered open. She stretched out her body and yawned. Then she sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Is it morning already?" she asked herself when she saw light shining through the windows. "Hm, weird. I thought I fell asleep with my glasses on." She grabbed her glasses and put them on and did the same with her hair ornament. "I guess he took them off for me." She said smiling. Sinai looked over at Shinji's desk. All of the paperwork that used to be on the right side of the desk was now on the left side. "No way…" she said with a gasp as she got out of bed. Sure enough, the papers were filled out. Sinai carefully looked through the pile. "Did he seriously stay up long enough to finish all of this?!" She placed all of the papers back where they were. After stacking them neatly, she opened a sliding door and walked into another room. There was Shinji, passed out on the couch. He was a pretty ungraceful sleeper though. Half of his blanket was on the floor, one of his pant legs was hoisted up to his thigh, his hair was a mess, his mouth was half open, and his shihakusho was lose, revealing his bare chest. Sinai blushed like crazy. But then she giggled. He did look pretty silly. "Aww captain Hirako looks so cute." She whispered. Sinai quickly realized something and panicked a little. "Oh, what am I thinking? I need to respect his privacy!" she quietly exclaimed before rushing back into the first room.

She made the bed and started straightening up her hair. "It's my first real day as a Soul Reaper…I hope I didn't oversleep…" Sinai said. She tightened her sash and slid her Zanpakuto under it. She stood there, not knowing what to do now. "Should I wake him up? I don't know…that might be rude. But he's my captain, so I can't do anything else until he gives me orders…and he can't do that if he's sleeping…" Sinai crossed her arms and thought for a while. After about five minutes she made a decision. "Alright, I guess I'd better wake him up. I hope he won't get mad at me for it though…" she walked back to the other room. Shinji was still asleep, but now he was laying on his stomach. Sinai tapped his shoulder. "Captain Hirako, are you waking up yet?" she asked. But there was no response. So she shook him a bit with her hand. "Captain, get up!" she said a bit louder. But he kept on snoozing. So she grabbed both of his shoulders and shook even harder and yelled "Shinji! Wake up!" Finally he yawned and began to stir. "It's about time." Sinai said. Shinji grunted as he stretched. After a minute, he sat up and yawned again. "Good morning to you too, Sinai." He said before rubbing the back of his neck. "Good morning Shinji…do you think we may have overslept?" she asked him. He yawned and stood up while stretching out his arms. "That's a possibility, thanks for gettin' me up." He said. "You're welcome, it was pretty difficult. You're a really deep sleeper." Sinai told him. "Sorry." He apologized while scratching his head. They heard a knock on the front door. "Captain, you've overslept again, this is the third time this week." A voice said. An annoyed look appeared on Shinji's face, then he and Sinai walked over to the door. "Yeah, yeah Sosuke. I'm up. You can go now. I'll be out in a few minutes." He told Aizen. "But sir, are you sure you won't just fall back asleep? You've done that in the past.." he asked from behind the door. A small vein popped out of Shinji's forehead. "I said I'm comin'! Sheesh! Go do what ya need to do." He said frustrated. "Yes Captain." Aizen replied. Then the sound of footsteps walking away were heard.

Shinji was now straightening out his shihakusho. "Geez, I hate how he's so uptight all the time. It's a real pain." He said. "So, what will be my first assignment for today Captain?" Sinai asked. Shinji turned around to face her and put his hand on his chin as he thought. "Hmm, well I guess you can help me take this paperwork to where it needs to go." He answered. "Okay." She said before walking over to the stack of papers. She tried picking up the entire thing. "Woah, woah, woah, hold on. You don't need to carry all of it. It's pretty heavy." He said as he stopped her. "It's okay, I want to help." She told him. Shinji put his socks and shoes on, then grabbed about three-fourths of the stack. "And you can, but there's no need to overdo it." Sinai pouted and grabbed the rest of the papers. They headed out the door and towards their destination. "I can carry more ten this you know, you took most of it! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't carry heavy things…I'm not weak." Sinai complained. Shinji chuckled. "I never said anything like that, I know perfectly well that you're not weak Sinai." They continued walking through their quarrel. "Well why don't you let me carry more then?" she asked. Shinji sighed and replied "Fine, you can take a little off the top of y stack if it makes ya feel better. Just not too much." Sinai smiled and nodded. They stopped walking for a moment so she could take some more paper. When she was satisfied with an amount, (It was very close to half) they continued. A sweat drop ran down Shinji's forehead when he realized that there's no getting Sinai to do less than she's fully capable of. Finally they arrived at an office. They both places their stacks on a desk, then Shinji spoke to the person sitting there. "I got this paperwork done." He said. "Thank you Captain Hirako, more will be delivered to your quarters later." The other soul reaper told him. Shinji sighed heavily as a small vein popped out of his head. "Fantastic…" the frustrated captain said sarcastically. He and Sinai left the office.

As they were walking, Sinai asked "So what should I do now, Shinji? I'd hate to just follow you around if you find it annoying.." "I don't mind it at all, like I said before I enjoy your company. As for what to do now, I'm not entirely sure." Suddenly, Aizen appeared before them using flash step. "Captain, there's trouble! He said frantically. "What is it? What's happened?" Shinji asked concerned. Aizen answered him promptly. "Hollows in the 60th district of the Rukongai, our squad has been assigned to take care of them." Shinji turned to face Sinai. "You stay here, I don't want ya gettin' hurt." He told her. But Sinai shook her head and replied with a stern voice. "No! You said it yourself captain, to not treat me like a kid! I want to be useful to my squad, I've trained long and hard for this. Please don't ask me to stand by and do nothing while the others are out there fighting." Sinai stared at Shinji, waiting for a response. "Sir, we don't have much time. The hollows have already done significant damage." Aizen said. He answered "Fine, ya got a point. I'll be able to see your fighting skills in person too. Alright, come on. Show me what ya got." Sinai smiled brightly. "Yes, sir!" she said confidently. The three of them took off toward the 60th district. This would be Sinai's first battle against a serious threat.

(to be continued)


	5. Prove Yourself

The three of them finally arrived at the 60th district by using flash step. Shinji walked up to some of his squad members who had arrived earlier. "So? Have you found any hollows yet?" he asked them. "No sir, not yet." One of them answered. "They can suppress their spiritual pressure then?" Shinji asked again. "We believe so Captain, these aren't ordinary hollows." Another squad member replied. Shinji walked back over to Sinai and Aizen. "These hollow are stronger than normal, so stay alert. Sosuke, go and search with the others." He commanded. Aizen said "Yes sir." and disappeared. Sinai drew her sword and asked "Where are they?" Shinji looked off into the distance and replied "We're not sure yet…they're hiding their spiritual pressure." Sinai nodded. "I see." Then Shinji told her "Keep your eyes open and keep cautious at all times Sinai." and started walking with his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakuto. Sinai replied "Yes sir!" and followed him close behind.

They walked down the evacuated alley ways searching for the hollows. Buildings were torn up. Broken glass and other debris were scattered everywhere. "I know this district is rough and all, but a hollow has definitely been through here." Shinji said. Suddenly, they heard a bone-chilling screech and Sinai jumped. "T-that's a Hollow's cry…isn't it?" she asked nervously. "Yup, sure is." He answered as he furrowed his brow. As soon as he finished speaking, four huge hollows appeared out of nowhere. Sinai and Shinji's eyes widened. They put their backs up against one another and surveyed their enemies. "Sinai! Get out of here! These guys are too much for you, but I can take 'em!" Shinji shouted as he glared at the hideous antagonists. Sinai yelled a predictable response. "No! I won't abandon my Captain! I may be nervous but it's time for me to prove myself!" The hollows were inching closer. Shinji growled. "Now's not the time for that! They're too powerful, can you sense their spiritual pressure now?! They're all close to that of a captain's! Run and tell the others! He shouted. But once again, Sinai refused. "You've got to believe in me Captain! I can do this!" she said as she stood her ground. Shinji drew his sword. "I'll handle three of 'em and you can take care of the last one, okay? Be careful Sinai!" he told her. As the hollows prepared to attack, Sinai said "No way! We both take two!" then charged.

Shinji looked back at her. "Ugh! Crap!" he exclaimed. A hollow swung at Shinji with its spiky tongue from behind, but he dodged it. He turned to face it and thought to himself _'Great! I can't have Sinai's back thanks to these jerks…darn it! She better be okay after all of this!'_ just as he finished thinking, Sinai leaped into the air and called on her Zanpakuto. "Blush! Akanehana!" as its shikai took form, she took a swing at a hollow's head but missed and landed on the ground. She stood up and smirked. "Well, I guess you're not some pushover hollows huh?" she said. Another hollow ran at her form the side and swung its giant claws. She blocked it with her sword and struggled a bit while attempting to push it away. Her arms were shaking and her feet were sliding backward. Sweat ran down her face as she clenched her teeth. Meanwhile Shinji was fighting the other two. One hollow kept swinging at his with its tongue while the other hurled projectile fluid at him. Shinji avoided all of it, but he could land a solid hit on either of them. "They're working together?! They're actually using battle strategies! This is worse than I thought…" he said. When he got a moment to stand still he looked over and saw Sinai struggling to hold off the other Hollow. He gasped and yelled "Sinai!" then started to run toward her. A hollow jumped in front of him before he could get close enough to do anything. "Darn it all!" he yelled as he swung his sword at it. He managed to make a cut in the hollow's arm, but since he was focused on Sinai, he didn't notice the other one come up from behind him. It hit him with its giant hand and he went flying into a nearby building. Sinai saw it and heard him yell. "Captain!" she cried out. She glared at the hollow and her feet stopped sliding. She let out a powerful yell and pushed the hollow's arm back before yelling "Hado number three! Shakkaho!" and blasted it in the face with a ball of flame.

She was then able to run over to the building where Shinji landed. He quickly got up. Sinai looked worried. "Are you alright Shinji?" she asked anxiously. "Yeah, I'm fine. But I should be asking you that." He answered. "I'm okay too, so don't worry about me. You can't fight to your fullest if you're distracted by me!" Sinai told him. Shinji sighed. "Alright, but don't go gettin' yourself seriously hurt, okay?" Sinai nodded and said "Right." Before a hollow flung acidic fluid at her. She jumped out of the way just in time and the substance burned a hole in the ground. Shinji charged at the attacking hollow and yelled "Hey you jerk! You're fighting me!" Then slashed its torso open. It screeched in pain. Sinai ran over to the other hollows and began fighting again. Shinji and Sinai battled them for what seemed like hours. They were both on the verge of exhaustion. The hollows were cut and damaged in various places, but they didn't seem affected by it very much. _'Geez, what's up with these things!?'_ Sinai thought. She posed her body to perform Sokatsui, but got caught off guard and was slashed across her back and arm. "Gahh!" she cried as blood spewed from the wound. **"NO!"** Shinji screamed. Sinai fell and hit the ground hard. She tried to get back up but failed. She kept trying and eventually she stood back up, holding her sword in one hand and her injured arm in the other. She was breathing heavily. Shinji was furious. _'Never thought it would come to this..'_ he thought. 'Collapse, Sakanade."

Sinai was in pretty bad shape. "I won't give up!" she yelled. She swung and missed again, some of her blood splattering on her Zanpakuto. Then she took a blow to the head and went flying. She crashed into a building, just as Shinji had done before. Her vision began to blur. "N-no! I won't die! Not now!" she stuttered. She slowly sat up and gripped her sword. Then she noticed something. The four flower buds at the base of Akanehana had opened slightly. "Huh?" Blood dripped onto its hilt from her forehead. They opened a bit more. Sinai gasped with realization. "So, the more blood Akanehana gets, the more the buds open up. But what happens when they bloom?" Her words were halted by the hollows who had ran over to her. "Hmph! Guess there's only one way to find out!" She got back up, staggering. Blood ran down the side of her face, causing irritation to her right eye. One of her glasses lenses had been cracked. "I have to do this…I must prove myself to be a worthy Soul Reaper!" she shut her eyes and concentrated as the hollows got closer and closer. _**'Akanehana! I need you…please lend me your strength!'**_ she cried out in her mind. Her Zanpakito answered her. "Very well, prove that you are worthy of wielding me as we fight together." She opened her eyes, said "Thank you" and stood her ground as she glared at the oncoming hollows. When they came at her, she countered their attacks with both arms and swung at them with mighty force. She made solid hits on both of them. As the hollows' blood made contact with Akanehana, the flower buds were opening more and more. Sinai was attacking with all the strength she had left in her body.

Shinji was making progress as well. The Hollows were in Sakanade's dimension now and were confused. This gave Shinji the advantage he needed to defeat them. It took some time, but he was finally able to hit their heads. First one, then the other right after. They uttered their final screams as they disintegrated. Shinji turned to where Sinai was and saw that she was attacking the hollows at an alarming rate. Her arms and sword were moving incredibly fast. He rushed over to help, but then Akanehana's buds bloomed. In an astonishing display, Sinai whipped her sword through the air, producing a large glowing red flower pattern. **"Akashi Kurayami!"** she shouted. A beam shot from the pattern, right through both hollows' heads. Then the beam died down, the hollows turned to dust. "Woah…" Shinji was amazed. As he was gazing at the space where the hollows used to be, he heard a thud. He looked over and saw Sinai on the ground. He called out to her and ran over as fast as he could. He kneeled down and picked up her limp body. He held her close to him. "No…Sinai…please be okay…" he said quietly. With a very faint voice, Sinai spoke. "S-shinji…d-did I …do it?" Tears welled up in Shinji's eyes when he heard her voice. He smiled and held her head to his shoulder. "Yeah, ya did it Sinai. We beat 'em." He told her softly. He let her head back down gently. Her eyes were barely open. "I'm glad…I was able…to help." She said. She began to cough violently. "Sinai! Don't talk, hang in there okay? I'll get you to squad four right away! Shinji said worriedly. Then the rest of Shinji's search team came running over. "Captain! Is everything alright? One of them asked. "No, Sinai's badly hurt. I may have a few fractured bones but she's more important right now. Someone contact Squad four! You, get Sinai's Zanpakuto!" "Yes sir!" "Captain, there's been other casualties as well. There were two deaths…" "Tch…come on let's get them to the relief squad! Hurry!" "Yes, captain. They're on their way." Sinai heard all of their talking. But she could barely see now. She felt Shinji pick her up and run with her in his arms. Shinji looked down at her. _'Crap…she looks so weak..'_ he thought. "Sinai, you're gonna be okay. Whatever you do, just promise ya won't die on me." Those were the last words she heard and Shinji's worried face was the last thing she saw before complete darkness took over her vision.


	6. I'm Alive?

Sinai's eyes slowly opened. She saw the ceiling of a room, then she looked to the right and saw a window. It was night time and the stars were sparkling in the inky sky. "W-where am I?" she said softly to herself. She heard someone breathing, so she turned her head to look to her left and saw Shinji. He was asleep, sitting up in a chair. His arms were crossed and his torso and other parts of his body were all bandaged up. Sinai tried to sit up in the bed, but cringed at the indescribable pain that shot through her body. She looked down and saw that she was covered in bandages as well, but had a lot more than Shinji did. She rested her head on the pillow again. "Man, I thought for sure I was a goner after that fight…"

The door opened and Captain Unohana stepped into the room. Sinai sat up this time, despite the pain. "Captain Unohana!" she said as she cringed again. Unohana smiled and walked to the bed. "You really shouldn't overdo it Sinai, you've been badly injured and your body needs all the rest it can get." She told her. "Oh…right. Sorry." Sinai said before laying back down. "So, you took care of us both?" she asked. Unohana nodded. "Yes, Captain Hirako rushed you over here himself. He had a few fractured and broken bones along with some cuts, but you were in worse shape." Sinai looked over at Shinji again. He was still asleep. "I see…thank you very much for tending to us Captain." She thanked her. Unohana looked at Shinji as well. "You're quite welcome. You know, I kept telling him that he needed to rest in his own bed but he insisted on staying at your bedside until you woke up." She said. Sinai looked at her. "Really? That fool…he's always worried about me when he should be looking out for himself…I feel like it's my fault he got hurt so badly…if only I were stronger then I could have done my duty to protect him…" Unohana shook her head. "Now, what would Captain Hirako say if he heard you talking like that? That's not true at all Sinai. From wat I heard from him, you fought hard and with all your might. You did well, especially with so little experience." Sinai smiled and replied "Thank you Captain, but I hardly deserve such praise." Unohana laughed a bit and said "Nonsense. Now I want you to get some rest so you can recover. It'll take about five days before you can be active in your Squad again, and you'll have to remain in bed for two days." Sinai nodded. "Yes ma'am. I took that bad of a beating, huh? Thank you again for all that you've done. Unohana nodded with a smile, then walked to the door. She opened it, said "Goodnight." Then left and closed the door.

Sinai sighed heavily. "I'm so glad we're both okay…" she said softly. She heard Shinji start to groan. She turned to face him and he was starting to wake up. "Shinji." She called to him. He yawned and rubbed his eyes before opening them. When he did, they widened. "Sinai!" he exclaimed. He stood up and leaned over her, giving the girl a delicate hug. Sinai blushed a bit. "I-I'd hug you back Captain, but it hurts to move…" she said. "It's okay, I'm so happy that you're awake Sinai…" he said softly. She smiled happily. "I'm glad you're alright too, Captain." She told him. He stayed there for a little while, then Sinai heard him sniffle. "Shinji?" Sinai started. "Are you…crying?" he sniffled again before standing up and wiping his face. "Nah, just got somethin' in my eyes..that's all." He fibbed. Sinai smiled and said "You don't have to lie and act all tough, you know. It's okay for a man to have emotions." He laughed a little. "Guess ya saw right through me huh? I'm a terrible liar…I was just so worried about you. I don't know what I would have done if I let my new recruit die on her first day…" he said before sitting on the bed at her legs. Sinai took his hand. "Well, now you know that I'm okay. It'll take more than lowly hollows to kill me, I'm a tough girl!" she said jokingly before sticking out her tongue. It made Shinji laugh. Sinai smiled. "So, what about you? Are you okay?" she asked him. "Yeah. I got pretty banged up, but I'm alright for the most part." He answered. "Does anything hurt?" she asked again. "Well, my stomach and my left arm do. But I'll be fine. I'm more concerned about you, how do ya feel?" "Heh, it hurts to move anything." She responded. Shinji frowned. "You should get some rest then, it'll be a while before you can be in the Squad again…" he told her. "Yeah, I know…" she said sadly. Shinji raised a brow. "What's wrong?" He asked. Sinai gave him a sad smile. "It's just that…It was only my second day as a Soul Reaper and I'm already all beat up. I have to get stronger."

Shinji put both of his hands on her shoulders. She looked at him and he looked straight into her brown eyes. "I apologize Sinai. I'm the one who needs to be stronger if I let my subordinate suffer like this…I should have used my Bankai to take care of those monsters…then you probably wouldn't be in a hospital bed right now…I'm so sorry. But don't you think for a second that you're not good enough. You did absolutely amazing in that battle. And if it weren't for you coming with me, I could'a died. I'm very proud of you and I'm honored to have you in my Squad. Could you ever forgive me for letting this happen to you?" his tone was serious and compassionate. Sinai blushed and couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you so much Captain Hirako, you don't have to apologize for anything! What doesn't kill us will make us stronger, right?" she said happily. Tears welled up in her eyes. Shinji brushed some hair out of her face and used his thumb to wipe away her tears. "Right. Why the waterworks, Sinai?" she smiled again. "I'm just delighted to have your praise Captain." She said joyfully. Shinji gave her a big, toothy grin. Then he sat back in his chair. "Shinji, you need to lie down in a bed too, Captain Unohana said so. Here, I'll even scoot over if you want." Sinai protested. Shinji snickered. "As much as I would love to share a bed with ya, you should have your own space. You need to recover and I'll just get in the way with my big lanky body. But, I will sleep on your pillow while sitting in the chair if that makes ya happy." He smirked, causing her to blush some more. "Okay…" she said shyly. Shinji moved his seat closer to her bed and put his head on the pillow, along with his arms.

"You're just too cute, Sinai.." he said quietly. She giggled a little. "Thank you Shinji. Good night." She told him. "Good night." He copied. They closed their eyes, now enlightened that they were both going to be alright. Sinai sighed softly as they both…

…drifted off ...

…into sleep.

(to be continued)


	7. Confessions

Two days passed and Sinai was released from Squad Four after further treatment. Shinji was entirely better now and he did everything he could to help Sinai, even tending to her every need. Sometimes he downright spoiled her. He insisted that she stay at his quarters, but she at least wanted to walk around with him. After giving him puppy dog eyes and asking continuously, Shinji gave in. He was a bit overprotective of her though. The rest of Squad Five saw how much Shinji cared about Sinai. They all had their own opinions about what was going on between those two. Rumors began to spread throughout the squad and even into other squads about them. One day, two other soul reapers saw them walking together. One said to the other "There go the love birds…" the other replied "Yeah I know. The Captain's been acting funny ever since Kokoroshi joined our squad." "Tell me about it. So, how far along do you think their relationship is? Do you think they've done anything yet?" "Just what do you mean by that?" he raised his brow. "You know…" awkward silence. Then it hit him. "Geez, man! That's none of our business! Why would you wonder about something like that?!" "I dunno…" "Ugh, come on. Well get in trouble if we keep standing around.."

More time passed and Sinai only had a day left before she would be fully recovered. It was night time, and Shinji and Sinai were at Shinji's place. "I'm so excited!" Sinai gleamed. "Oh yeah? What for?" Shinji asked her. I can be active in the squad again after tomorrow." She responded. "You're that happy about bein' able to do work in the squad again?" he asked. "Well, yeah I don't like just sitting around doing nothing. I want to be- "I know, you wanna be useful." Shinji interrupted her. Sinai pouted at him, which made Shinji laugh. "What? You say that so often, I knew you were gonna say it again." "Only because it's true.." He smiled. "You're pretty motivated Sinai, I like that about ya. It sure does balance out my lazy side…" Sinai smiled as well. "Thank you Shinji. There has to be someone around to keep up with you and make sure you get your work done." She crossed her arms playfully. "Heh. Just don't- "Don't overdo it? Yeah I know. That's what everyone says." she interrupted him this time. Shinji put his hands on his hips. "Well for your information miss smarty pants, I was gonna say don't overdo it ' _again.'_ And everybody says that because you have a knack for pushin' yourself too far." Sinai giggled at this "motherly" aspect. Then she thought for a moment, and spoke. "So. I guess I should find my own place to live now and get out of your hair, right? I know you're really busy because you're a Captain. I'd hate to be a burden.." Shinji looked at her, surprised. "But Sinai… I want- he stopped himself, then spoke again. "What I mean to say is…you can if ya really want to. But…I would like it if ya stayed…with…me…" As he finished speaking he began to blush. He scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. Sinai wanted to squeal, seeing her captain like this. But she did her best to remain calm. She giggled some more. "Of course I'll stay if you want me to. I just figured I should leave because I don't want to cause you any more trouble. And I wasn't sure if it was allowed or not." She told him. Shinji shook his head. "Who said ya caused me trouble? I certainly don't think ya have. You've only done good for me Sinai." He said. This made Sinai ecstatic. "I'm glad I'm not a nuisance to you, Captain." She told him. He gave her another smile and she spoke again. "But, I don't want to steal your bed…you shouldn't have to keep sleeping on your couch because of me…" Shinji crossed his arms and replied "Well I guess I'm gonna hafta arrange somethin' huh? I'll get ya your own bed and you can put it wherever ya want." "That would be nice." She answered with a shy smile. "Could I maybe keep it in your room? T-that is if you don't mind, I know a Captain needs their privacy after all.." "Not at all. Wouldn't bother me a bit." He said. "And about what ya said about wantin' to get stronger, I've been thinking; and I can train you if ya want. I'm sure it'll help." He told her. "Really?! Thank you so much, Captain Hirako!" Sinai was so overjoyed that she ran up and hugged him. This shocked Shinji, considering her usual shy attitude towards him. Even so, he smiled and hugged her back with one arm. "By the way, that's 'Shinji'." He said. "Oops, sorry…" she laughed.

Two days later Sinai wanted to begin training right away. Shinji suggested that she wait a bit longer after recovering, but it was to no avail. He taught her new combat skills and a few new kido. They couldn't train too often though, because Shinji's duties as a Captain kept him busy. Sinai helped whenever she could. Not only did she have feelings for him, but she also admired him for his hard work and joyful spirit. (Despite the labels of being lazy and too laid back put on him by other soul reapers). Sinai was closer to him than anyone, and she actually saw his daily activities. Sure, he wasn't always on top of everything, but he was still a great captain. Throughout her days, Sinai met all of the other captains and a few of Shinji's friends along with some others. That included Kensei, Rose, Love, Mashiro, Lisa, Hachi, and Kisuke. She found Mashiro's secret crush on Kensei to be adorable. Sometimes they would talk endlessly about their captains. Sinai didn't form much of a bond with Lisa though. She saw her as pretty tense and possibly a bit of a pervert. Sinai thought that Rose and Love were pretty cool. She liked how strong they were and how they often used teamwork. Hachi was very nice. Since he was lieutenant of the Kido Corps, Sinai begged him to teach her some. He agreed and Sinai's abilities grew stronger. She was pleased with her progress so far. Kisuke had just become Captain of Squad twelve. Hiyori was his lieutenant, but she despised him. Sinai liked him though and found him funny and very wise. Hiyori continued her harassment on Shinji. Sinai lectured her whenever it happened, and eventually Sinai became able to block Hiyori's punches and kicks that came seemingly out of nowhere. Shinji was impressed because most of the time he had no idea when Hiyori would appear to hit him. Sinai was glad she could better defend her captain now.

Sinai blocked a kick from the tiny blonde with her sword one morning. "Aww you're no fun. I just wanted to mess up that jerk's face a little." Hiyori complained. "Not while I'm around." Sinai said sternly. Hiyori grumbled to herself and crossed her arms. "Yeah, well you only wanna protect your stupid boyfriend." She told her. Sinai's face turned red. Shinji blushed a bit as well. "N-no, I just want to make sure Captain Hirako is free of your senseless abuse, that's all." Sinai stuttered. Hiyori snickered. "Whatever, I've heard the rumors going around about you two. Don't try to lie to me." She said. "Rumors?" Sinai asked embarrassed. "What rumors?" Shinji demanded. "Hmph, I don't have to tell you losers anything. Later!" she said before dashing off. Shinji laughed nervously; both of them were still red in the face. "Don't worry about her, she's probably just makin' stuff up to make fun of us." Shinji said. "Maybe…but if there really are rumors going around…I wonder what they're about…" Sinai said shyly. She looked at Shinji as a thought popped up in her head. Then she turned as red as a strawberry and started steaming. "What is it?" Shinji asked. Sinai started to fan herself off and replied "Oh, nothing…" Shinji raised a brow and thought to himself _'I wonder what goes on in that head of hers sometimes.'_

Sinai continued working in her squad to the best of her ability. She and Shinji fought more hollows. She continued to strengthen herself, in body and mind. Sinai even had missions in the world of the living every now and then. She loved it the first time she went. Sometimes she performed konsos, other times she battled stray hollows. Sinai was amazed with the other world. She loved strolling around and seeing all the shops, parks, and buildings. It was very different from the Soul Society. Shinji always went with her and smiled as Sinai marveled at the stuffed animals, ribbons, and other girly things. As they worked together more and spent more time with each other, Shinji and Sinai grew closer. They both had fallen in love with each other, just as everyone had predicted. Some found it cute, while others were indifferent. If Sinai went somewhere, you were sure to find Shinji with her. The same went for Shinji (except for Captains' meetings of course). Despite all of their emotions, neither of them had admitted how they felt. No one knew why. They knew Sinai was shy but everyone expected Shinji to say something by now, with the way he used to act around other girls that caught his fancy. People suspected that Shinji actually, truly loved her and was nervous since he wasn't just flirting with her. This time around, Shinji was serious.

The afternoon rolled around one day and Shinji had requested that Sinai go to his office. "So what's this about Shinji?" She asked. He was sitting at his desk. "Well, I can clearly see that you've improved since day one. I'm very proud of you." He began. "You're stronger, faster, and a lot more skilled than before. You've put in a lot of hard work and your abilities are outstanding." Sinai blushed a bit and smiled happily. "Thank you very much, Captain. It means a lot! But I couldn't have done it without you helping me." She told him. Shinji nodded, then spoke again. "And that's why I'm making you my third seat." Sinai's eyes widened in excitement. "Really?! You're sure? Seriously?" she exclaimed. "Absolutely." He answered. Sinai jumped into the air and shouted **"Yes!"** Shinji got up from his seat and headed towards the door. "Come on, let's go home. I've got some other stuff for ya there." Sinai rushed over to him. "Thank you so much, Shinji!"

They went to their quarters. When they stepped inside, there was a large plush bunny on Sinai's bed. When she saw it she gasped and ran over to it before hugging it tightly. "I love it! It's so cute!" Then she saw that there was also a smaller stuffed lion and panda on her bed. "They're adorable Shinji! I love them! Thank you!" she put the bunny down and ran back to Shinji and hugged him with the same force. "Heh heh. You're welcome Sinai. I saw how much ya loved them when we went to the world of the living, so I got 'em for ya." He told her. Sinai let go and looked at him with a huge smile. "I can't believe you'd do something like this for me." She said. Shinji grinned and replied "There's more." Then he reached into the top of his kimono and pulled out a shiny red ribbon. "You've been tellin' me about how much you love ribbons, so I got one in your favorite color to put around your neck." He explained. Sinai's eyes were glimmering. "It's so pretty." She said while admiring it. "Would you like me to tie it on for ya?" Shinji asked. Sinai blushed, then replied "Okay." While smiling shyly. Shinji got close to her, moved some of her hair out of the way, put it around her neck and tied it into a bow. "There, it looks beautiful." He told her softly. She blushed even more with him being so close. "T-thank you…" she said while looking away shyly. Shinji took Sinai's chin in his hand and turned her head to face him. He gazed lovingly into her eyes. "What are ya lookin' away for, Sinai? You're beautiful." He purred. "I-I dunno...I'm just so shy when it comes to you, Shinji." She replied. Sinai was lost in his eyes. The face of the man she adored so much was so close to hers. A pleasant chill ran down her spine as she felt his hand on her back underneath her flowing brown hair. His other hand played with the ribbon. "Sinai….there's been somethin' I've wanted to tell ya for a while now." He said. "Yes?" Sinai asked dreamily. "I…..I love you." A pink tint appeared on Shinji's cheeks. Sinai couldn't believe her ears. "R-really?" she asked, astonished. He smiled and answered "Yeah, I really do." Tears welled up in Sinai's eyes. "I'm so overjoyed to hear you say that Shinji…because…I love you too." Shinji's smile grew wider after hearing her words. "I'm so glad…" he said.

After opening his eyes from smiling so much, he pulled Sinai close. Their bodies were warm against each other. Sinai rested one hand on Shinji's chest and used the other to brush some hair off of Shinji's face. He held her tightly in his arms. They both closed their eyes and Shinji slowly lowered his head closer and closer to Sinai's. Then finally, their lips met. Sinai wrapped her arms around Shinji's neck. Shinji wrapped his own around her waist. It was the happiest that either of them had ever been. They heard each other's muffled breath as they kissed. Sinai moved her hands to Shinji's face and Shinji moved his to Sinai's shoulder blades. Eventually they both had to catch their breath. They were breathing heavily. "Woah." Shinji said. Sinai giggled "I agree. That was amazing, Shinji." He laughed a bit, then kissed her forehead. "I try my best." He joked. They both smiled. "So, guess what else I got for ya?" he asked. "Really? There's more? You're spoiling me, Captain." Sinai said happily. He turned around and began rummaging through his desk drawers. "So what?" he replied after pulling out two small boxes. He showed them to her. "Pocky and Mochi! My favorites!" "Yup, I know how much you love sweets." Shinji said. Sinai gave him another big hug. "Can we have some now?" she asked anxiously. Shinji snickered at her cute eagerness. "Of course." "Yay! Thank you!" she squealed. He gave her the boxes and said "But only on one condition." Sinai looked at him, confused. "What's that?" she asked. Shinji smirked. "Ya gotta let me feed some to ya." Sinai's face lit up. "A-alright…if you want to…" she stuttered. Shinji chuckled. "You're adorable Sinai." He said lovingly. Her cheeks turned even brighter. "You always make me blush so much Shinji!" she whined as she covered her face. He laughed as he sat on his bed. "Come 'ere cutie." He said, motioning to her with his hand to join him. Sinai went over to him and sat in his lap, still blushing mildly. "So, there's something called the 'pocky game' I've been wanting to try." Sinai told him. "Never heard of it. Will ya teach me?" his smooth voice made her stomach tingle. She nodded and took a piece out of the box. "Alright, so I put one end in my mouth and you get the other one and we eat it until…you know." Sinai explained. A grin swept across Shinji's face. "So, ya didn't get enough of my lips the first time eh? I can't blame ya since I _am_ pretty irresistible." He said with a smirk. Sinai playfully hit him on the shoulder. "Oh Shinji, just eat the pocky!" they both did as Sinai instructed. They nibbled on opposite ends until their lips met and they kissed again. When they finished, Shinji licked his lips in satisfaction. "I like this game." He said Sinai smiled. "I'm glad I could finally try it out with someone." She said with a smile. They played a few more times and finished off the pocky.

Shinji opened the box of mochi and took one out. "Alright Sinai, open up." She opened her mouth and took a small bite. "What tastes better? Me or the mochi?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows. Sinai finished chewing and giggled. "I guess it's pretty close to a tie." Shinji smiled and gave her the rest of it. Then Sinai insisted on giving him one as well. When he finished, she closed the box. "Let's save the rest for later." Sinai said. Then she rested her head on Shinji's chest. She could hear his steady heartbeat and felt his chest gently rise with each breath he took. Shinji stroked her long, brunette locks. He took her hand in his. "You know…" Sinai began. "All this hard work, effort, and willpower that I had to put into becoming a Soul Reaper was totally worth it because I have you as a Captain now, Shinji." She said softly. She felt him plant a soft kiss on her head. "I'm glad you were put into my Squad, so I could meet ya and spend time with ya…you're the best thing that's ever happened to this dull life of mine." Shinji said quietly. Sinai gave him a loving smile. "I've always wondered how true love feels." They sat there for a moment, simply enjoying each other's company. "Shinji?" "Yeah?" "I love you." "I love you more." "As much as I would love to spend the rest of the day with you like this, we've got work to do Captain." Sinai said. "Yeah, I know. That always seems to ruin things, doesn't it? Come on, let's get going then." He replied. They both stood up and grabbed their Zanpakuto before heading out.


	8. Revelations

Sinai continued training and honing in on her skills and abilities. Mission after mission, she kept growing stronger. She eventually made quite a name for herself in the Soul Society. Many of the captains had high regards for her as well. She even became well known in parts of the Rukon district. Word that Sinai had become a great Soul Reaper had reached her old "family" in her old district. Despite the surprising news, none of them seemed to care. They just went on with their lives.

It seemed that Sinai's life was at the highest peak it had ever been. She was so glad to be with Shinji. The man she loved supported her with undying devotion and helped her reach her goals. Shinji and Sinai signed up for every mission in the world of the living that they could, just to get away from the busy Soul Society and relax sometimes. After they completed their missions together, they would often spend the entire day enjoying each other's company. One particular evening, they traveled back to the Soul Society from the world of the living to be greeted by Captain Kyoraku. "Escaping to the world of the living to avoid the watchful eyes of other soul reapers?" he asked them suggestively. "You two behave yourselves, now." Sinai shook her head. "No, nothing like that…we were just on a mission." She replied. "Oh, alright. Sorry for assuming things. But pretty much all of the Soul Society knows how close you are. Just be careful." Kyoraku told them. "Whaddya mean by be careful?" Shinji asked. Shinji asked. Kyoraku answered "Well, if you two start loving on each other so much that it distracts you from your work, then Old Man Yama might have you separated from each other." Sinai's eyes widened. "R-really? No way…" she said in disbelief. "Unfortunately it's true. That's why relationships among soul reapers are often discouraged." Kyoraku told her. "Hmph. It would be just like that old geezer to take away something precious from me because of work…" Shinji muttered in disgust. "But there's absolutely no way that that's gonna happen." He said as he clenched his fist. Kyoraku chuckled a bit and said "I admire your enthusiasm, just don't get too carried away." Before walking off and waving.

Shinji and Sinai walked back to their quarters. "I can't believe that there's a rule such as that…" Sinai said softly. Shinji was angry that hearing that stupid rule made his Sinai upset. "Screw the rules, they can't take ya away from me. I don't care if the General says so or not. I'd give up being a Captain before letting that happen!" Shinji ranted. Sinai smiled to see him so animated. She walked up to him and stroked his golden hair while looking into his eyes. "It's okay Shinji, we just have to stay focused on our duties and everything will be alright." She told him soothingly as she placed her hand on his cheek. Shinji placed his hand over hers and closed his eyes. He let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I guess…but they can't tell me-…us…how to live." He said softly. He looked back into Sinai's eyes once more. She placed her other hand on his other cheek. "It'll be okay, we won't get separated. I'll always be with you." She said. Shinji smiled lovingly before kissing her lips. "Ya darn right. I'll never leave you either." He said reassuringly. Sinai gave him a bright smile. "Good, then it's settled. Our love will last for all eternity." She said happily. Shinji chuckled. "Heck yeah, it will!" he exclaimed. Sinai giggled and hugged him. When Shinji let her go, he said "Well, I have more crap paperwork I have to get done, so why don't ya go ask Aizen for something to do while I'm busy. Sinai looked worried. When Shinji noticed her expression, he asked "What's wrong?" Sinai scratched her head and explained. "In all my time in Squad five, I've never been able to trust Aizen…he just seems shady to me and I get this bad vibe whenever I'm around him…his 'kindness' just seems like a front he's putting up. I have bad feelings about that guy…" Shinji gave her a nod, and spoke quietly "I know. I know exactly what you mean, Sinai. To be honest, I feel the same way about him. That's why I made him my lieutenant, so I could keep an eye on him. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want you to worry, but you were smart enough to see his true colors on your own. But don't let him find out that you're suspicious of him…I don't want anything to happen to you." Sinai nodded. "I understand. I'll play it cool for now." She said. Shinji ruffled her hair a bit. "Good, and if ya have any problems with him or ya notice anything weird, ya let me know right away, alright?" he asked with a toothy grin. Now reassured by her captain, Sinai replied "Understood" and went off to work. She eventually found Aizen and asked him if there was anything that needed to be done. He listed a few things and she went off to complete them. Shinji worked on paperwork practically for the rest of the day while Sinai did various chores and errands. Near the evening, when she finished all of the tasks that Sosuke had named, she sparred with some of her friends. Unbeknownst to her though, Aizen had been spying on her for the entire day. No one noticed. He slipped away after a while, wearing a devious grin that no one saw.

When night came, Sinai said goodbye to her friends and went back to hers and Shinji's place. When she arrived, she saw the front doors wide open. She rushed to the building and hurried inside. All the lights were still on. The paperwork was still on Shinji's desk, a good bit of it not finished yet. It was silent. She walked slowly through the house, confused and slightly nervous. She placed her things on the floor and looked in the other rooms. Nothing. "Shinji?" she called out. No response. Thoughts began rushing through her head about what could have happened. She sat on the bed and started to sweat. _'Oh no…'_ she thought to herself. _'Did Aizen figure out that we were suspicious of him? Did he come to kill us? Did the captain general decide we were too distracted? Where's Shinji?'_ Her heart rate increased as she breathed heavily. She hugged her knees close to her chest. Suddenly, she heard footsteps. They were getting closer. Toward her. Her eyes dilated as she silently jumped off of the bed and grabbed her sword. With each step, her heart beat faster and faster. _'Here they come…'_

She went to leap at the mysterious person to attack, but then saw it was actually Shinji. He looked bewildered. Sinai was already in mid-air and panicked. "Crap!" she exclaimed. She quickly dropped her Zanpakuto onto the floor and braced herself for impact. Shinji spread out his arms to catch her. He was successful, but off balance, and the both of them went crashing to the floor. An "Oomph!" came from Shinji. They laid there for a few moments, stunned. Shinji groaned. "Aw, man. Sinai…what the heck was that about?" He asked, still laying on his back. Sinai's breathing slowed down when she heard his voice. She quickly stood up when she realized she was on top of him. "Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry!" she said frantically. Shinji picked himself up and stood next to her, rubbing his head. Sinai went from apologetic to irritated. "Shinji! You scared the absolute crap outta me!" she fumed. Then she slapped his shoulder. "Ow!" he jolted. Shinji rubbed the place where she hit him. "Ya know, I don't have a shirt on, so that hurt more than usual! And what's up with you? Why are ya actin' all crazy?" he asked, completely confused now. Sinai finally collected herself. "Geez, the way everything was made it look like you were taken away or something!" she said. Shinji noticed that she was slightly shaking. A sweat drop ran down his head. "Well dang, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare ya so bad…" he apologized. "Why were the doors open? Sinai asked. "I just wanted some fresh air." Shinji explained. "What about that unfinished paperwork?" she asked. "Well I got bored and decided to take a break." He replied. Sinai looked him in the eyes and asked "And where in the world were you?!" "I was drying off. I just got out of the shower. I didn't answer you because I wanted to give ya a surprise hug. Try to calm down, babe." He responded. Sinai sighed and closed her eyes. "Oh man…thank God…" she muttered. "I really thought something happened to you Shinji…" she said sadly. Shinji came closer to her. "Well ya see that I'm right here. No need to be all worked up, okay?" He put his bare arms around her shaking body. Sinai felt his strong embrace and his warm, soft chest against her head. She took a deep breath and calmed down before hugging him as well. "Sorry I freaked out." She said after a while. "It's okay, I understand." Shinji told her. "It's pretty late, how about we get some sleep?" he asked. Sinai nodded and followed him to bed. They both laid down and faced each other. "I told ya before, Sinai. I'll never leave you or let myself be taken from you." Shinji said calmly. He placed his hand at the small of her back. Sinai gave him a little smile. "I know…I was just worried. That's all." Her voice trailed off. Shinji held her close and cradled her head underneath his. "I'm not going anywhere, babe. I promise." He whispered. Sinai held herself against him. "I love you Shinji." "I love you more." They were whisked off into sleep while in each other's arms.


	9. Flirting

"Have you heard the news?" Rose asked. "About what?" replied Jushiro. "People in the Rukon District have been disappearing lately, all that's been found of them is their clothing…" Rose told him. "Yes, I have heard…it is quite troubling. I hope we can get to the bottom of this right away." Jushiro said with a hand placed thoughtfully on his chin. Shinji approached the other two captains. "Get to the bottom of what?" he asked. "Hello captain Hirako. We were just discussing the disappearance of district residents lately." Jushiro replied. Shinji stopped walking when he got a little closer. "Oh yeah, I do remember hearing somethin' about that. I wonder what's causing it…It can't be a hollow. If it was then their clothing wouldn't be left behind." He stated. "Yes, it is a mystery. And a big problem…." Rose added. Shinji crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "Well for somethin' like this, everyone should know about it so they can stay on their toes." He finally said. "Yes, I agree. It is best to remain cautious and aware." Jushiro agreed. "So where's Sinai? She's usually always by your side, Shinji." Rose asked. "She's just running some errands, I didn't want to get her worried with any troublesome talk like this. Her poor nerve are already worked up enough." Shinji told them. "While I do understand your reasoning, Captain Hirako, I believe it would be best to tell her so that she can remain cautious as well. It is better to be safe than sorry." Jushiro admitted. "If I may say something as well, I think you should tell her too. If you don't reveal the truth to her right away, she may feel hurt about you keeping things from her. You of all people should know she hates being treated like a child." Rose added. Shinji looked troubled. "Well, there's a difference between treatin' her like a kid and wantin' to protect her. But I guess I see your point. I'll let her know when the timing is better…" he said. Jushiro nodded. "Well, we had better spread this information." He told them. The other two captains nodded as well, and then went their separate ways to inform everyone of the possible threat.

Shinji told Hiyori, Kisuke, and a few other people before returning to his own squad. He found Sinai and she came running to welcome him back after the few hours he had been gone. "So Sinai, wanna train with me some more?" Shinji asked her. "Of course!" She said enthusiastically. They went off to spar with each other. When they arrived at their usual training grounds, Shinji said "Alright, let's see somma your kido." Sinai smiled with confidence. "All right, comin' at ya!" she yelled. "Hado number 31! Shakkaho!" A bright red flame shot from Sinai's hands. _'Dang! It's fast!'_ Shinji thought as he leaped out of the way. The fire hit the ground and singed all the grass around it. Shinji smirked. "All right, what else ya got?" he asked challengingly. Sinai laughed. "Oh, you wanna know do ya? Was that not enough? Well have some more!" she shouted. She lept into the air and cried "Hado number 73! Soren Sokatsui!" This time a wide blast of blue flame came from Sinai's hand. Shinji's eyes widened. The flame was so quick and powerful that he only just barely managed to avoid being singed. A sweat drop ran down his head. "Are ya tryin' ta kill me, Sinai?" he asked. "You're the one who told me not to hold back against you!" Sinai whined. Shinji laughed before saying "I know, good job. That's a pretty high level of Hado." Sinai crossed her arms and smirked. "Well, I _have_ been practicing." She said proudly. Shinji gave her a wide grin.

"So, you can aim at a still target. Any lowly Soul Reaper can do that. But what about when bein' attacked?" he asked as he placed his hands on his hips. Then she took a battle stance, preparing for what was going to happen next. Sure enough, he sped toward her and took a swing with his fist. Much to Shinji's surprise, instead of Sinai dodging it, she blocked it with her hand. He didn't let temporary shock get a hold of him though, and he kept at it. The two were a flurry of punches and kicks, each one not able to land a hit on the other. Eventually Sinai started to sweat. _'Okay, I have to make some distance between us so I can cast another Kido, but if I don't do it quick enough, he'll stop me.'_ She thought to herself as they sparred. So she kicked with all her might, aiming at Shinji's midsection. He had to block it with both arms in an "x" shape to avoid being hit, and it even sent him back a bit. Sinai jumped away and shouted "Alright Captain! You dodged those last two, but try this on for size! Bakudo number 61! Rikujokoro!" Instinct made Shinji try to get away again, but he jumped out of the way before his mind registered that Sinai didn't cast another Hado. He didn't expect Sinai to cast a Bakudo spell this time. Shinji was caught off guard and trapped in six yellow bands. He got annoyed because she managed to catch him.

"Crap!" he complained. Sinai strutted over to him as he struggled to try and break free. "I told ya I was strong." She said smartly while giving him a cocky look. "Alright, fine. Ya win. Now get me outta this." He told her. Sinai only stood there with her arms crossed. Shinji kept struggling. "Well whaddya waitin' for, Sinai?" he asked annoyed. Sinai giggled mischievously. "I think I should get _some_ kind of reward for capturing my own captain, don't you, Shinji~?" she asked suggestively. Shinji, who now had a small vein on his forehead, sighed. "Okay, whaddya want?" he asked while slouching and looking at her. Sinai came closer to him. "Well, you'll just have to figure that out…" she said quietly while walking her fingers up his chest. "What do ya mean by that?" he asked again. Sinai rested her forehead on Shinji's and blushed lightly. She smiled again, then nipped his chin. The unexpected action made Shinji gasp. "Sinai, what're ya- He was cut off by the feeling of her hands creeping into his shihakusho.

Shinji started blushing, afraid that someone might see this. _'What will someone think if they see me gettin' owned like this by my girl?'_ he panicked in his mind. When she noticed his flabbergasted expression and the pink tint of his cheeks, she chuckled, then kissed him. After a minute or two, she pulled away and released the Bakudo. Shinji lost balance and fell on his bottom. He was completely bewildered at this point. Sinai laughed again after getting another look at his face. Eventually Shinji stood up and dusted himself off. He cleared his throat, still embarrassed. "Why, Sinai…you little pervert." He said lowly. She approached him once more. "What? You didn't think I was just a sweet little girl with no spice did yo- …then she realized what he called her. "I am not a pervert!" she said as she crossed her arms. Shinji laughed and replied "Well, I've got proof that says otherwise. Just wait 'till the others hear about how naughty you are." Sinai gasped and got close to his face with a glare. "You wouldn't dare." She said, squinting. Shinji gave her his trademark toothy grin, said "Nope." Then stole another kiss from her. He walked away before Sinai said anything else.

She stood there for a moment and blinked before quickly following behind him. "Now who's the bad one, huh?" She called. Shinji laughed again and replied "Touché. Grab your sword and let's kick it up a notch." Sinai got her Zanpakuto and the two of them sparred for a few hours. When they both got worn out, Sinai sat on the ground and sprawled herself out. She lie in the grass, breathing heavily. "Shinji…can we….stop now?" she said in between breaths. Shinji, also tired and with his hands on his knees, said "Alright, let's call it a day." Then walked over to where Sinai was laying. He plopped down and laid on his side to face her. "Great job today, you're definitely improving." He said. Sinai smiled and turned her head to face Shinji. "Only because I'm being taught by the best." She responded happily. "Aw, come 'ere you…" Shinji said before leaning his head down to kiss her again. Only this time, they were interrupted. "Ahem." They heard another voice say. Shinji quickly pulled away when he heard the other person and looked up to see who annoyingly interrupted their kiss. There stood Aizen, looking awkwardly at the semi-intertwined couple. Sinai's face turned bright red and she stood up quickly with her hands behind her back while looking down. Shinji also stood up, and he was blushing a bit. But he was more angry than embarrassed. "What is it, Sosuke?" he asked the lieutenant. "There's another hollow that needs to be dealt with Captain." He said neutrally. Shinji let out a loud, irritated sigh before muttering "Those darn things are a pain in my rear…" Sinai looked at Shinji. "Let's go deal with it, Sinai." She nodded, got her Zanpakuto, and the three of them headed out.


	10. Fears

It was dark out now and the stars glimmered in the night sky. Shinji and Sinai arrived home after defeating the hollow. "Man, I'm beat. I need a shower." Sinai said. "Go take one then, when you get out I'll have some food ready for us." Shinji told her. Sinai went to go bathe and Shinji changed his clothes before starting to cook. Half an hour passed by before Sinai came out of the bathroom. Shinji was sitting at the table waiting for her. In the center of it sat a large plate with several different types of sushi. "My favorite! Thank you Shinji!" Sinai exclaimed. "No problem at all, cutie. Sit down so we can eat." Sinai sat, put some pieces on a plate, and said "Itadakimasu" before digging in. "This is delicious!" she beamed. "Why didn't you tell me you could make awesome sushi?" Shinji laughed a bit and shrugged his shoulders before answering her. "Well, to tell ya the truth I was kind of nervous about messin' it up. So I waited to try it out. I'm really glad it came out alright." "Alright? This is better than what we get at restaurants! I'm happy you decided to make some." Sinai said gladly. "I'm glad ya like it, Sinai." He said.

After they finished their meal, Sinai brought up the topic of the disappearing Soul Reapers. Shinji looked concerned. "So ya finally heard about it eh? I was gonna tell you eventually but I didn't want to freak you out or anything." She nodded and said "It's really troubling…especially since…" her voice softly trailed off. "Since what?" Shinji asked. Sinai continued. "Well, I originally didn't want to tell you about this because _I_ didn't want to worry _you,_ but ever since I thought you were taken and had that episode three weeks ago, I've been having really terrible nightmares." Shinji looked even more serious now. He got up and went over to her. Then he took her hand. "About what?" He asked. She looked at him, then at her hand intertwined with his before answering. "About us being separated…in some dreams you disappear right in front of me, and in others I'm surrounded by darkness and I don't know where you are. And evil eyes are all around me, glaring…" She rubbed his knuckles with her thumb as she spoke. Shinji sighed softly. He got down to her eye level and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Well, they are only dreams Sinai. We'll be okay." "But, that along with these mysterious disappearances…I feel like it's a bad omen or something." Sinai said worriedly. Shinji stroked her long brown hair while giving her a loving look with a soft smile. "Don't be scared, I'll never let anything happen to you. You can count on me." He said to her calmly. Sinai threw her arms around him. "I don't want anything to happen to you either, Shinji." She said while nuzzling his neck. He embraced her and rubbed her back soothingly. "I'm pretty strong and capable Sinai, I can handle myself. So don't worry about me. I don't like seeing you like this, a smile suits you better." He said. She looked up and gave him a weak smile. Shinji smiled too. "There's that pretty face." He said. As they were getting ready to go to bed, a Hell butterfly came through Shinji's window. They heard its alert. "All captains report immediately to an emergency meeting. Attention, all captains to an emergency meeting right away." Sinai's eyes widened. "What could it be?" she asked. Shinji furrowed his brow and frowned. "I don't know, but you need to stay here and get your rest. I'll go see what's up and I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? He told her. Tears welled up in Sinai's eyes as Shinji put on his garments. "Hey now, no waterworks. I'll be back. There's no way I'd let us be separated for any reason." Shinji said while holding her head. Sinai hugged him as tight as she could. Shinji let her go and gave her a kiss. It lasted for a moment and Sinai's arms never left his back. When they released each other, Shinji picked up his Zanpakuto. He went to the doors and looked at Sinai, who sat nervously on the bed. "I promise I'll come back to ya, Sinai. No matter what. I love you." He told her. Sinai jumped up and ran over to him and hugged him once more before saying "I love you too…Shinji." He kissed her forehead, gave her hand a squeeze, and then rushed off. She stood by the doors and watched him speed away. Only one thought resided in her mind. To no one but the air, she said aloud

"Keep your promise Shinji…

Please…"


	11. Pain

Sinai went back to the bed and laid herself down. She laid awake for about an hour. Still, Shinji hadn't returned. Two more hours passed by. Still no sign of him. Sinai was worried as thoughts began streaming through her mind about what could have happened. Then she sighed loudly and said to herself "I'm sure nothing too serious happened, captains are always so busy and have many things to handle. Shinji will probably be back in the morning…I'd better get some sleep so he doesn't scold me if I wake up tired tomorrow…" she chuckled at the thought of seeing his annoyed look. Sinai turned on her side and closed her eyes. In a matter of minutes she fell fast asleep.

About six hours later, the sun rose.

The female reaper's eyes fluttered open as she yawned and stretched her body out. But…the warm mass of Shinji's body she expected to feel when she awoke wasn't there. Sinai was still alone. As soon as she noticed his absence, her head shot off of her pillow as she jolted upright in bed. For a minute she tried to remain calm. "Where…could he be?" she said aloud. Her wild imagination got the best of her and she got dress as quick as she could. Sinai grabbed her Zanpakuto and rushed over to the Captain General's meeting room. With each step, she grew more and more frantic. _'I might get into trouble for interrupting a meeting or showing up uninvited, but at least I'll know where Shinji is…I still have a bad feeling.'_ She thought. As soon as she arrived she requested entrance. "You may enter" she heard the Captain General say. The doors opened, so she slowly walked inside and bowed respectfully. "Thank you sir, for granting me permission to enter." "What is your purpose for coming here this morning, Kokoroshi Sinai?" he questioned her. She nodded and spoke "If I may ask, what happened last night?" Genryusai grunted softly at her question. "Sinai…" he began. "I am well aware of your exceptionally strong relationship with Captain Hirako…" _'Oh no…'_ Sinai thought to herself. _'He's going to separate us after all! Just like Captain Kyoraku warned us about! Is that why he didn't come home?'_ However, with the next few words that were about to come out of the General's mouth, Sinai would have wished that were only the case. He continued. "I regret having to inform you that Captain Hirako has fallen victim to a hollowfication experiment along with seven others, caused by the traitor Kisuke Urahara.

Sinai's heart began to race and her pupils shrank.

She could barely get her mouth to form the words of her next question.

"W-what happened to them sir?"

Genryusai answered promptly. "They were potential threats to the Soul Society in their condition, so it was necessary for them to be eliminated."

Sinai wanted to break down and scream right there. She wanted to yell at the General, ask him why they didn't help Shinji and the others. She had so many questions and emotions coursing through her quaking head. But she froze. She gritted her teeth. And stood there. Silent.

She didn't know what she wanted to do. At this point she didn't care about any consequences she might face for her actions. She just wanted Shinji.

"T-thank you for the information…sir…" she managed to force out. She turned around and rushed out of the doors. Tears began to stream down her face as she ran and ran. She sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her until she reached a distant field of flowers that she and Shinji spent much time together in. Finally she couldn't hold in her flood of emotions in any longer.

She released the loudest scream she ever had in her life.

Then she fell on her hands and knees.

Other soul reapers were startled by the sudden scream to say the least. But Jushiro was close by and recognized the sound of Sinai's voice. He hurriedly began to rush toward the source of those sorrowful cries. When he finally found her, she was a mere shuddering lump on the ground. Ukitake attempted several times to get her attention, but to no avail. She just kept crying. Eventually others showed up to find out who was crying so crazily. Ukitake warded them off and told them to leave her be. When everyone else left, he sat in the grass next to her, unaware of what he should do now. _'Poor girl…your love is gone…you deserve some time to mourn…'_ he thought. Sinai wept for hours until she blacked out. When Jushiro noticed the ceasing of noise, he picked her up and carried her to her and Shinji's quarters. When he opened the door, he saw Aizen sitting in a chair, wearing a captain's garment. "Oh, please excuse me Captain Aizen. I was not aware that you changed living quarters so suddenly. I am sorry for the loss of your previous Captain." He said politely. Aizen stood up and walked up to him. "Thank you for your kind regards, I hope I can be as good of a captain as he was." He replied. Jushiro smiled and answered "I'm sure you'll do well. About Sinai here, I suppose she couldn't take such shocking news about Captain-er…former captain Hirako…so she cried for such a long time that her body gave out and she fainted. Where should I place her?" Aizen looked at Sinai's tear-stained and distraught, unconscious face. "I wouldn't want to force her out of her old home after such a terrible situation. She may remain here with me, just set her on the bed over there." He told him. Captain Ukitake nodded and did as he said before saying a quick farewell. When Ukitake was gone, Aizen closed the door and slowly walked over to Sinai's limp body.

He grinned deviously and whispered

" _ **Your beloved Shinji is no longer with you. But you have immense power that could be of much use to me…"**_

(to be continued)


	12. Her

When Sinai awoke, she was surprised to be back in her own bed. Bewildered, she said "Then…was it all just a nightmare?" To her dismay, Aizen appeared out of what seemed to be nowhere and answered her. "I'm afraid not, Sinai…Captain Hirako is gone. I have been made Captain of squad five in his place." Sinai couldn't believe her ears or her eyes. She hugged her knees to her chest and began to sob. Aizen approached her calmly with a quiet voice. "There, there. I know it must be terribly hard for you since you were so close to the captain. I truly feel terrible for you Sinai." He was directly beside her now, and she ceased her crying. His presence still made her uncomfortable. In fact, it was even worse now. She was certain that she felt something evil about his spiritual pressure. Was he the cause of Shinji's and the others' supposed deaths? It was entirely possible, since she knew in her heart that Kisuke would never do anything malicious to his comrades. He was probably set up…however, even if it was all true, she couldn't allow Aizen to let on to her suspicions…or he might kill her too. Then no one would be left to tell everyone what really happened. She had to play it cool, for now.

She sniffled and looked up at him. "T-thank you for your kind words…" she managed to say. _'I hate this….I hate him…he's not worthy of wearing Shinji's captain garb…I wish I could hurt him…but it's too risky right now…'_ she thought to herself. Aizen smiled and said "You're welcome. And Sinai, I also have a proposition for you." What might it be?" she asked, feigning curiosity. He spoke again. "Well, you are a very capable Soul Reaper in my eyes and I would like for you to be my lieutenant, that way you would still be able to live here and we could communicate more easily." Sinai thought silently for a bit before answering. "Thank you so much for your offer, I feel honored to be regarded as lieutenant material…but I'm afraid that there's just too many painful memories here…I'd like to get another place to stay…" she lied. "Alright, I understand. You can still be Squad five's lieutenant if you wish." Aizen told her. _'And answer to you? I'd rather die…'_ Sinai got out of bed and began to gather her things. "Again, I'm honored…but…I just don't feel like I'm cut out for such a high position…I don't even feel like third seat material anymore because I've allowed harm to befall my Captain…I'm sorry, but could I just be a normal officer from now on?" she asked sorrowfully. Aizen appeared surprised at her words. "You really don't have to go through such drastic measures and renounce your position, Sinai. But if that's what you really want, then I suppose I shouldn't stop you." He said. "Thank you for understanding. This is extremely hard for me…I just need a break is all." She replied as she forced a smile. She quickly collected the rest of her belongings and bid farewell to Aizen (falsely) before leaving her old quarters.

She eventually found a small vacant place around the other squad five officers. It was kind of run down due to its abandonment for a while, but she fixed it up the best she could that day and settled in. "I was afraid for my life back there…I'm sure Aizen is dangerous, there's no doubt in my mind…but I have to be careful how I act and talk from now on so he doesn't find out what I really think." she said out loud. Sinai made herself a small meal, then laid down on her makeshift mattress. "What will I do without you, Shinji? Why did you have to go like this…" she whispered sadly. Despite the tremendous amount of despair she felt, deep down in her soul was a tiny feeling that he and her friends were still alive somewhere. That very moment, she pledged to herself that she would never stop searching for her real Captain.

(to be continued)


	13. and Him

The room was dark.

As his beige eyes began to open, Shinji sat up slowly.

"Aw, man. My head…" the blond muttered as he grasped it.

"Where the heck am I? What happened…and where's that darned Aizen…" he asked the empty room. Then he gasped, realizing something.

"Sinai…I need to find her…" he said urgently.

Then a figure stepped into view. It was Kisuke. Shinji stood up quickly; a sharp pain coursed through his body.

"I'm afraid there's no way that will be possible at the moment." Urahara told him.

"Kisuke, what the heck happened? The last thing I remember is the others and I becoming hollowfied, then I blacked out after trying to fight…" he grimaced before continuing. "It was all that traitor Aizen's doing…"

Urahara took a deep breath before answering is questions. "Yes, that's exactly what happened. Tessai and I took all of you to this location in the world of the living to escape the punishment of the Soul Society. We then worked vigorously to reverse the effects of your hollowfication. It wasn't easy, but we were successfully able to save you all. So far you're the only one awake, but the others should be active again soon."

Shinji crossed his arms. "What in the world could that monster be planning…" his voice drifted off. Then it hit him again. "What do you mean it's not possible for me to get to Sinai?" he asked confrontationally.

Kisuke looked sad. "I know how much she means to you, Shinji, but we can't go back or they'll kill us all." He said.

Shinji stomped his foot and raised his voice angrily. " **I don't give a crap! I'll fight every squad alone if I have to! I'm not leaving her!"**

Urahara closed his eyes before speaking again. "I understand your feelings about this situation, don't forget that I care about her too. I also hate to leave without a word to her…but we can't risk the lives of everyone here for one person. Think about it. Sinai wouldn't want you to risk yourself and the others for her."

At the thought of Sinai's smiling face, Shinji calmed down a bit.

"Yeah…she's always looking out for everyone but herself…" he said in a near-whisper as he looked at the floor.

After a moment of silence, Shinji asked "So, how long was I out?"

Kisuke scratched his head. "Well, the entire process and treatment did take some time. You've been asleep for about two months."

Shinji's pupils shrunk. He walked over to Kisuke and looked him straight in the eyes.

"You mean to tell me that it's been two months and no one has told Sinai anything?"

"I'm afraid so." Answered Urahara.

"Where's Sakanade? I'm going to find her darn it, she probably thinks that I'm dead. She shouldn't have to bear that kind of pain…I don't even want to think about the possibility that Aizen got to her too…" he said abruptly.

Kisuke put a hand on Shinji's shoulder. "Hirako, Tessai and I are branded as traitors, along with Yoruichi. You and the others were sentenced to immediate destruction. If you go back, they will search for and find us. So you can either trust that Sinai will be strong enough to get through this until you can reunite someday later, or you can go rushing into things and get us all killed." He said sternly.

When Shinji understood the hopelessness of the circumstances, he dragged his feet over to the wall and punched it with all of his strength. Then he fell to his knees.

Kisuke watched sorrowfully as Shinji continued to hit the wall until a noticeable dent formed. When his knuckles began to bleed, he let his arm go limp and fall to his side before placing his forehead on the wall. His body shuddered as he grunted in pain and cursed to the air.

"I'm sorry Shinji…but I'm positive you'll be with her again, a bond as strong as yours and hers isn't easily broken. Just have faith. I'll leave you alone for a while." Urahara said softly. Then he left the room as quietly as he entered. Then Shinji started to do something he rarely ever did in his lifetime. He started to cry.

"Why…" he whispered. **"Why did this have to happen to us?! Why do we deserve this?!** Why…"

He continued mourning late into the day. By then, all of the other had woken up, just as Kisuke predicted. They were all equally shocked, but none of them had heartbreak like Shinji did. Some tried their best to comfort him, but it was to no avail. So they left him to get his emotions out for as long as he needed. After a two day hiatus, Shinji collected himself and returned to normal for the most part. Then Kisuke gathered the ex-soul reapers together and informed them of their current condition.

"Each of you is going to have to go through multiple 'tests' if you would, in order to gain complete control over the hollow power that now dwells within each of you." He explained. "This is a life or death matter because if you let your hollow take you over, then you become one permanently…and well, we'll have to kill you."

"Heh, sounds like fun." Kensei said sarcastically.

"Not to me! I'm scared…" Mashiro whimpered.

Hachi patted her on the back before reassuring her that everything would be alright.

"We're all strong enough to get through this." Lisa said. Rose and Love agreed with a nod.

"If the stupid idiots in the soul society weren't such heartless creeps, we wouldn't have to put up with this crap! But I guess we don't have much of a choice…" Hiyori grumbled.

"Alright, Kisuke. Let's get this done. I still have all intentions of finding and rescuing Sinai, I just need to get stronger." Shinji said.

With confirmation from everyone, Urahara said "Alright, are you ready to get started?" The group nodded. With newfound determination and willpower, Shinji would do whatever it took to get Sinai back.

And once he found her, never again would he lose her.

(to be continued)


End file.
